Making Waves is a volunteer initiative that invites refugees to build a motor yacht. The workshop offers experience in carpentry, craftsmanship and much more. Participants engage in all stages of construction from design to completion.

Making Waves provides a meaningful context for participants to share their stories, and discuss the challenges of migration, assimilation and cultural difference. After our boat is complete, we will use it for fun, leisure, and to explore the regional landscape and beyond.

"We are building the boat ourselves now – of higher quality, with a good motor and features that make it safer than crossing the sea in a raft. I’ll remake the experience but in a good way. I’ll be at ease and unafraid. There are many safety features on a luxury boat. It will be a different experience.”

Participant, Nawras Alwali

In the 1920s, commuter yachts were classic cabin cruisers used by prominent businessmen to travel between Long Island and Wall Street. The hull begins with an elegant V-bottom bow, which flows aft into a shallow arc. This unique design enables the vessel to be poled in less than one foot of water. It is ideal for running up shallow rivers, exploring wildlife in remote places, or conversely, cruising the city’s industrial canals and lakes. It can accommodate a party of eight, sleep four, and is extremely fuel efficient. With a little power, she glides across the water.